A Valentine Carol
by MoonStarDutchess
Summary: When Roy expresses his dislike for Valentine's Day, it will take more than his friends and family, more than the living, to get him to change his mind and confess to Riza *Completed*
1. Roy's Thoughts on Valentine's Day

**A Valentine Carol**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 1: Roy's Thoughts on Valentine's Day **

**Disclaimer:** **Full Metal Alchemist and all its characters are the property of Hiromu Arakawa. No profit was made from this fanfiction. The only things that I do own are the OC's if any. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of original characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author holds exclusive rights to the overall course of the plot. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. I claim full ownership of my character Raven except the name which belongs to my new friend Raven.  
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**AN: Well here's another holiday fic inspired by something Nature 9000 said on messenger. This will be another multichapter and I hope that you enjoy it. I promise it will have comedy, drama and a nice bit of romance at the end, not a lemon though; hence the T rating. I'm looking at 6 chapters for this but with me you never know. Hope you enjoy it. **

**Note: I mixed manga with anime. The anime events happened with the movie but I used the *spoiler* Madam Christmas as Roy's foster mother.**

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**Roy's Thoughts on Valentine's Day**

Roy Mustang sat at his desk and sighed as he stared out the window, the paperwork being ignored in favor of looking out at the cityscape as the sun began its descent behind the mountains in the distance. His eyes moved to stare at the large ball of fire, his mind making a mental note to never take something like the setting sun for granted ever again. While he was up North the sky was always so dark and it was always snowing. During that time he thought it was a fitting place for him to be. His soul was darkened so why not be in a complementary environment.

He turned around when he heard the door open and saw Hawkeye walk in with a bunch of file folders. Falman, Breda, Havoc, and Furey were walking behind her carrying boxes of pink, red and white items. He was surprised when they walked over to him and sat them beside his desk.

Roy directed his eyes down at the boxes to see that they were brightly decorated boxes of chocolates, valentine day cards, and various other types of the standard gifts of affection that women gave him this time of year.

"Just what are these?" he questioned, letting the displeasure sound in his voice.

"Valentine's chief," Havoc said. "The girls in Central must have heard you were back and decided to get a head start on the eve of Valentine's Day."

"Okay, let me rephrase that. Why'd you bring them here?" he questioned with obvious distaste.

"That's probably because they are addressed to you, Sir. I can think of no other reason that the men would bring you gifts such as those. Did you not ask them to bring your mail to you?" Riza questioned him.

Roy leaned back in his chair and sighed. "I guess I did. It's just I hate Valentine's Day. It's so damned pointless. Why do people need a day of the year to lie to someone about how much they love them?"

"Wow chief, I figured that you'd love it since you get all the attention."

"I don't want the attention; I want to be left alone. Valentine's Day, as I stated, is a day full of lies. It's a day when a man or woman treats the opposite sex like queens and kings in hopes that later in the night they will act like a porn star."

"That's not really a fair thing to say, Sir," Riza spoke. Roy turned his gaze to her, interested in what she meant.

"Wow Lieutenant, you surprise me. Do you actually like this holiday?"

"Why is that so surprising? I believe some couples out there celebrating are truly in love and not celebrating for the reasons that you have stated."

"Are you in love Lieutenant?" Furey asked, getting stares of shock from Falman, Havoc, and Breda. They all wondered if he had some kind of death wish.

"I don't know," she answered, and looked back down at her paperwork.

Havoc stared at her and tried to hold back a smile. Oh, she knew full well that she was in love with none other than her commanding officer who hated Valentine's Day.

Roy laughed. "It's great I suppose if you put a lot of stock in being in love. Love is a foolish thing and it makes people act like idiots. I wouldn't lower myself to that."

"So you've never been in love sir?" Furey questioned.

Havoc wanted to smack Furey upside of the head.

"No, I haven't and I don't plan on letting myself fall," Roy said.

Havoc glanced over at Hawkeye, who had visibly tensed when Roy said that. After he smacked Furey he would go and punch Roy out. He knew the man loved Riza but he just didn't want to admit it to himself. However, Riza didn't know that and it was clear that his words had hurt her. He looked at the other men to see if they noticed Hawkeye's actions: they didn't. It looked like he was the only one that clearly saw the affection she held for the man. Either that or the other's did a good job hiding their knowledge.

"You don't exactly let yourself fall in love. Some people that fall in love are just too stubborn to admit it. Some people don't even realize that they are in love."

"Some people only think they are and then they really aren't. Sometimes it is only one-sided love. You can use all the some people's and sometimes that you want but that won't make me change my mind," Roy said.

"Something will change your mind someday," Havoc replied.

"Havoc, I am thirty three years old. I doubt that."

Riza stood and gathered her paperwork. "It's lunchtime," she said.

The men filed out of the office quickly as Roy stood and stretched his arms over his head.

"Want to get some lunch with me Lieutenant?" he asked.

"Sorry sir, I can't. I am having lunch with Jacob," she replied.

"Jacob down at the range?" he questioned, his voice taking on a surprised and to his shock, jealous tone. No no, it wasn't jealousy. He wasn't the type to get jealous.

"Yes sir," she replied. They walked out of the office and down the hallway.

"I didn't know you two were..." he trailed off.

"I tend to keep my social life private," she responded and turned toward the filing office. She tucked the folders she was carrying under one arm and saluted Roy, surprising him. She never felt the need to salute when saying goodbye before.

"I'll see you after lunch, sir," she said.

"Yes, all right Hawkeye," Roy responded and watched her as she made her way down the hall and out of sight.

He made his way out of headquarters and down the street. He heard his name called many times by women passing by, both married and single, yet he didn't respond to them. He didn't really care that they wanted to show their affection to him. He didn't care that he could have almost any woman in Central that he wanted if he asked. All he could focus on was the fact that Riza Hawkeye was going on a lunch date. He shouldn't really care considering they weren't and never were involved romantically in any way. However, when he thought of her laughing with Jacob or going out to dinner and dancing, or going back to her apartment and…he cut himself off at that thought. His stomach felt funny and his chest felt congested upon thinking of things such as that.

He turned the corner and smiled as Madam Christmas's new place came into view. Madam Christmas would know why he was feeling the way he was.

Roy walked through the door and over to the bar to sit down. Not even a moment later, he laughed when Vanessa latched herself onto his arm and smiled.

"Happy early Valentine's Day!" she said gleefully and rubbed her head against his shoulder as if she was a cat nuzzling her master. She let go and looked around.

"What's wrong?" he questioned.

"Where is Elizabeth?"

"We don't need the code names anymore Vanessa. You can call her Riza now," he said.

"Oh, yeah! Old habits die hard I suppose," she said with a giggle.

"So where is she?"

"She's having lunch with someone," he replied.

"A guy?" she questioned.

"Yeah," he said.

Vanessa stood. "Why didn't you say something to stop it!" she exclaimed, as if not by doing so, he was doing a large disservice.

"It's none of my business who she decides to have lunch with," Roy said with a huff.

Before Vanessa could respond, the door to the right of the bar opened. Madam Christmas came walking out. Her red dress dragged the ground slightly and her black boa made an odd ruffling sound as she made her way over to the bar. She sat up Roy's typical drink but stopped pouring when she saw the huffed up look Vanessa displayed.

"What did you do and what do we have to do to fix it," Christmas questioned, sitting down the bottle of liquor on the counter.

"What makes you think I did anything?"

"Vanessa never gets that look on her face unless she's bloated or angry with you."

"She's just acting that way because I didn't stop Riza from going out to lunch with Jacob. Not a big deal."

"You let the woman you love go out with another man on a lunch date?" Christmas snapped, narrowing her eyes at her son.

Roy scooted back slightly. He remembered that look from when he was a child, and knew that underneath it simmered a super volcano of annoyance and anger ready to explode if he uttered the wrong words.

"…Um…"

"Zhou Shin… "

Roy cringed at the use of his ugly sounding Xingese name. He never liked it, and much preferred the Amestrian name that Christmas had given him.

"How do you expect to get the woman you love if you keep letting her go on dates? If you don't tell her how you feel you will lose her." Christmas questioned, trying to calm her nerves. For being so damn smart he sure was stupid when it came to matters of the heart.

"Whoa…whoa…back that up. Love? I don't do the romantic love thing. Riza is a grown woman and free to find love if she wants it. I have no interest in it."

"Liar liar pants on fire! You love Riza and you know it. Stop trying to deny it!" Vanessa said.

"What did Roy do this time? Fuck up again?"

Roy turned to see his "sister" Raven, walk down the steps with her long supermodel type gate. She walked over and stood at his right side.

"Just what is this about denial," she questioned, her thick Cretian accent coming out at full force.

"He let Riza go out with another man for lunch!"

"What? I figured you had her elevated to at least girlfriend status now!"

"He says he doesn't love her!" Vanessa said.

"Wow, what sunk your ship into the river of denial?"

Roy stood and growled. "Nothing has sunk my ship! I am not in denial about anything. Love is foolish and having a day every year to celebrate such foolishness is idiotic. There's no such thing as being in love. I don't love Riza a bit and wouldn't ever. She's not my type even if I believed in falling in love. "

Riza stopped at the door as she started to make her way into Madame Christmas's place. Roy had forgotten the papers he needed to give his mother. She decided to bring them over to the place before leaving for her lunch with Jacob to discuss the new sniper rifles and her help with the testing of them.

She'd only opened the door a few inches before she heard what he said, her heart dropping at his words. It was bad that he said those things in the office, but to hear him say specifically that he didn't love her and wasn't her type really shattered her heart. She took a step back and plastered on her mask that she'd prepared for revealing the death of a soldier to their loved ones. She knocked on the door twice before coming through, as customary for customers not wanting to …partake…in the upstairs entertainment that the girls there provided. She walked through the door and over to Roy who looked a bit pale.

"Speaking of…" Vanessa muttered.

"Riza, what brings you here? Roy said you had a lunch date," Christmas said.

"Yes, I did," Riza replied plastering on her professional tone. It was the first time she'd ever used it with Madame Christmas. If she was going to distance herself from Roy then she needed to distance herself from his family as well. As much as she cared about them, it would be too difficult to maintain a relationship with them considering her status with Roy. She laid the papers up on the counter in front of him. "You forgot these at the office and I thought I would bring them to you sir."

Roy took the papers off the counter and nodded. "Um… thank you…" he said awkwardly, hoping that she didn't hear what he said before she came in the room.

She nodded, turned around and walked out the door not giving so much as a departing gesture.

"RIIIIIIIIIIIZA! Wait!" Vanessa said, shooting a glare at Roy before she followed the blond lieutenant out of the business. "Riza, stop! I can't run in stilettos!"

Riza stopped and turned around to see Vanessa walking as briskly as possible toward her. She was surprised when Raven passed Vanessa in a couple strides.

Vanessa arrived at Riza and turned her head to glare at Raven who was already standing at her side.

"Do you have to flaunt your long legs all the time?"

"If you haven't figured out the answer to that after growing up with me then you are a lost cause," Raven replied and turned her sights to Riza. "You overheard what he said didn't you?"

"No, of course not," Riza replied, and then cursed at how unconvincing she sounded. Around anyone else, she could lie, but Raven had something about her, some kind of power to draw the truth out of people. The interrogation team at Central could really use someone like her.

"You are lying. You heard everything! Roy didn't mean what he said! We all can tell that he's gaga over you."

"Look, I really don't care whether he loves me or not," she said, while trying to keep her voice from shaking. "Even if I did love him-which I don't- you heard what he said. I'm not his type. I'm too normal."

"Normal? How are you too normal?"

"I have to get to lunch. It's an important meeting to discuss a few things," Riza said, trying to end the conversation.

"Ah Ha!" Vanessa said, causing Riza to take a step back in surprise. "So it's not a romantic date!"

Riza looked confused. "No, Jacob is just a friend. It's a business lunch with some people who want to test out new sniping equipt-"

"Yes! Now we don't have to worry about breaking you up with whoever you date!" Raven said.

"Dear God! Give it a rest! Roy and I will not happen! Do you understand? I will not ever date someone that doesn't believe he can fall in love. I like my life the way it is so please just stay out of it," she said.

Vanessa and Raven looked at each other and laughed.

"What is so funny?" Riza questioned.

"You called him Roy," Vanessa said.

"I hear wedding bells and honeymoon moans already," Raven replied.

"You two…just give up," she said with a sigh and walked away, leaving the two women standing there quite amused and pleased with themselves.

"That went well," Vanessa said.

Raven looked down at her and grinned. "I give it until the end of Valentine's Day before they are rolling around in the covers.

"That soon?"

"Yes, with my Valentine's Day plan it will happen. You see, I've been reading this holiday book by some guy named Charge for Dickens and-"

"You mean Charles Dickens," Vanessa said.

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, there are these ghosts that visit this guy name Sc-"

"I'm going back to the office to finish my paperwork early so I can go home and go to bed. I need to think," Roy said, interrupting the conversation the two women were having. They straightened up and turned to him, plastering huge smiles on their lips.

"I grew up with you two and I know those smiles. Just want are you planning?"

"Nothing, there's nothing we could possibly be planning. Anyway," Vanessa said, grabbing his arm. "You should really mend things up with Riza. We think she overheard what you said and we know you didn't mean it."

"I did mean it though. I don't want to fall in love and she isn't my type really," Roy said.

"If you don't believe in love and all that jazz then you don't have a type because you can't fall in love unless you do indeed have a type. Then if you fell in love then that woman would be your type because you fell in love with her. Right?" Raven stated.

"Exactly!" Vanessa replied. "That was completely the most brilliant thing I've ever heard!"

Roy stared at Raven for a moment. . . "What?"

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	2. Roy's First Visitor

**A Valentine Carol  
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**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 2: Roy's First Visitor**

**Disclaimer: Full Metal Alchemist and all its characters are the property of Hiromu Arakawa. No profit was made from this fanfiction. The only things that I do own are the OC's if any. ****This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of original characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author holds exclusive rights to the overall course of the plot. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. **

**This story is based off Charles Dicken's The Christmas Carol in case you don't know.  
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**Roy's First Visitor**

Roy sighed as he made his way up the pathway to his front door. He'd finished his paperwork and left before Riza got back from her lunch. He just wasn't in the mood to see her at the moment. His feelings were pulling him right and left concerning just where their relationship stood.

He'd always thought of Riza as a confidant. She was someone he could rely on in both peaceful times and when they were in the heat of a battle. She wouldn't fail him and he refused to fail her.

So where did that leave them in their personal lives? He just didn't know. He could say that he cared, but honestly what was love? Did he love her? As he told his family, she wasn't his type but then Raven had to go and open her mouth; her words about love and type confusing him. If he had a type then wouldn't he have the capacity to love? If he indeed found his "type" then did that mean that he loved her? Surely love was more than just finding the right personality to fit his. He just didn't understand any of it.

Roy walked up to his door and stuck the key in the lock. The best thing that could happen was that he just clear what Raven said from his mind and forget trying to define love. This love people spoke of was impossible for him and it was foolish for an alchemist to partake in such things. He turned the key and saw something flash out of the corner of his eye. It looked like it came from the knocker on the door. He narrowed his eye at the lion shaped ornament and reached up to touch it.

He moved his face closer and closer, looking for a transmutation. He wanted to make sure no one rigged the home.

Suddenly it flashed again, causing him to jump back. He closed his eye, the pain from the light making it ache. For once he was almost glad his other was gone. It couldn't feel the pain the light caused. After resting his good eye for a moment, he opened it and saw small dots in front of it, an after effect of the flash.

Roy shook his head and reached into his pocket, pulling out the pair of sunglasses he kept there. He cursed himself for not remembering to put them on before he left the office.

Slipping them over his eyes he walked back up to the knocker and examined it again. When he saw nothing that would cause a flash he touched it and nothing happened. He lifted the handle part and let it go, causing it to clang against the door lightly.

Roy sighed and shook his head. He'd been working seven days a week since he got back from the north so perhaps he was just seeing things. It wouldn't be unusual for him after all. That didn't explain the slight throbbing he felt in his eye but he didn't want to go that deep into thought: He'd just brush it off.

He unlocked his door and walked inside his house.

After shutting and locking the door, he flipped on a light and hung up his coat. He stopped when he heard an odd clicking noise. It sounded so familiar but he just couldn't place it. He shrugged, deciding to chalk it up to his stress, and went to take a shower. Perhaps, if he relaxed then these strange hallucinations would cease.

He took a step upon the first stair and heard the familiar sound yet again. Then again when he stepped upon the second, then again when he stepped upon the third. He rushed up the stairs quickly each time the click matching the footsteps perfectly. He rushed back down them and the click kept perfect pace. After moving back up and stopping at the top of the stairs Roy did a little tap dance, each time his foot touched the ground the click kept pace. Roy cursed. He slowly tiptoed to the bathroom, the click slowly sounding each time his foot made contact with the floor.

Roy rushed into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him, causing the room to be engulfed in darkness. Roy closed his eye and breathed deeply. What in the hell is going on around here?" he questioned. Suddenly the dark room lit up quickly, causing him to jump. He reached into his pocket to grab his gloves when he realized that he didn't' have his coat on, and the gloves were in the pocket of that particular garment.

Roy flipped on the light and that saw nothing was there. He sighed with relief then scolded himself. He was a grown man, he shouldn't be afraid of things that were merely hallucinations brought on by stress. They couldn't hurt him unless he did something stupid to counteract them. He would ignore them, yes, that would be the best bet.

He quickly stripped of his clothing and threw them in the hamper before turning on the shower, relieved that the familiar clicking noise stopped. After he took off his eye patch, he stepped under the water and shut the shower curtain, hoping that if the flash occurred again it would spare his poor eye from the onslaught of pain that would no doubt come after.

He relaxed as time wore on and as the hot water cascaded over his body. He loathed ending it because he had a feeling it wouldn't be the end of the clicking noise.

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Havoc and Breda were walking down the street, going toward the bar when they spotted Raven rushing toward them.

"Guys! I totally need your help. It's an emergency!" she said. "Come to the shop quick."

Being the good guys they were they wouldn't pass up a chance to help a lady, even if she was a "lady of the night" so to speak.

When they got to Madam Christmas's place Raven smiled widely. "Here, try these on," she said, handing Breda a white sheet looking garment and Havoc a black garment.

"What are these?" Havoc questioned.

"Okay, well, we all know that Riza loves Roy and Roy loves Riza yes?" she questioned, earning nods from Breda and Havoc.

"Yeah, it's obvious," Breda said.

"Well I think they will never get together unless we find a way to convince Roy that he needs her and has the capability to love her, yes?"

"Yes," Havoc said.

"Well my idea is foolproof. Hence why I need your help," she said, knowing Breda and Havoc wouldn't catch the insult she'd thrown into her statement.

"All right, let's hear it," Breda said.

Raven proceeded to tell them her idea, the more she spoke the more shocked the men became. After she finished she smiled widely at them.

"It is brilliant!" Vanessa exclaimed.

"You can't be serious Raven? That idea is nuts," Havoc said.

"Look, four ghosts visited that Scrooge fellow in the book. I'm thinking if we visited Roy as ghosts it would make him realize he's in love with Riza."

"How would that make him realize he's in love with her? And I've read that book, just how are you going to show him his past, present and future?" Breda questioned.

"We are just going to make him reminisce, perhaps tell him what Riza is doing right now," she said.

"We don't know what Riza is doing though," Havoc said.

"Well duh, we have to make something sad up," she said.

"No, I'll have nothing to do with this cockeyed plan," Havoc said. "The last thing I want is to end up on the flame end of Mustang's alchemy."

"Same here," Breda said.

Both men laid the costumes down on the bar and started toward the door.

"If you don't help I'll spread rumors," Raven said in a sing song voice.

They both turned.

"Like you could do any damage," Havoc said.

"I could tell all the women that you frequent this place a lot and that you have an ugly rash on your ass. Or that you do it to tryst with each other. There's tons of yummy stuff I could make up and I am a very very very good liar," she said, licking her lips evilly.

Havoc walked back over to the bar and picked up his costume. "Where's my scythe?"

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Roy stepped out of the shower and dried off. He wrapped a towel around his waist and slowly left the bathroom, listening closely for any sign of the familiar clicking noise as he tiptoed. He had to admit, he felt very foolish doing so in his own house, but also had to admit that his scientific side was fascinated by the new sound.

Roy smiled widely when he reached his bedroom and walked inside normally, no noise accompanying his footsteps. He slipped on a pair of boxers and decided to forgo dinner in favor of turning in early. He slipped under the thick covers of his king sized bed and pulled the curtain hanging from the canopy around it.

Roy rested back onto his back and closed his eyes, his body fully relaxing. Yes, the click and flash were only in his head. He slowly drifted off further and further into sleep when he heard the click and rose up. This time the sound was getting louder and louder indicating that it was getting closer to him. He growled and pushed away the curtain hanging from the canopy and a flash greeted him. Roy rubbed his eye and finally when the remnants of the flash disappeared he nearly fell out of his bed.

He now felt very foolish for not recognizing that the flash was from a camera and the click was a sound of a camera's shudder, as he stared at his friend Maes Hughes, a friend that had been dead for almost four years.

"Hey Roy!" Maes said, holding his camera in one hand and raising the other in greeting.

"Okay, now I know I need a vacation," Roy muttered and crawled back under the covers, pulling them over his head. "Maybe if I ignore it, it will go away.

"Awww, don't be like that, I'm here to help you," Maes said, grabbing the top of the covers and pulling, trying to extract them from Roy's grasp.

"Oh shit, it can pull things too. This is just great."

"Roy, let go. I must tell you something and my time draws short," Maes said.

Roy let go quickly causing Maes to fly backward through the fireplace wall, knocking over the fireplace tools with a clang. Maes soon flew back into the room and growled at being all ash and soot covered.

"If I didn't care about you so much I would be one ticked off ghost," he said.

"Ghost?" Roy questioned. "Looks like I'm too far gone if my hallucinations are already dead."

"I am not a hallucination," Maes said.

"There's no other explanation. Angels don't exist, Demons don't exist, spirits don't exist, and ghosts don't exist. There's no scientific proof."

"Do you alchemists have to have proof for everything? Can't you just accept that there are things that exist that need no explanation?"

"Um…if I lie and answer yes, will you go away?" Roy questioned. "I've had enough hallucinations in my life thank you very much."

"Argh, you are even more impossible now. If you were anything like the Roy I knew before the entire, move to north and become emotional incident then this would be easier!"

Roy raised an eyebrow at him.

Maes sighed, "Never mind, no it wouldn't."

"Okay, let's say that I believe you and you are a ghost. What are you doing here?"

Maes smiled widely and coughed. "Roy Mustang, you are not embracing the beauty that is Valentines…Oh shit…" Maes reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small tablet. "What was it that I was supposed to say…?"

Roy sighed and turned around to go to sleep when Maes stopped him.

"Wait, wait! Let me word this my way," he said.

Roy sighed and turned back toward him. "Just get on with it. I want to get some rest."

Maes smiled widely. "You are blocking your heart from love and that will prevent you from getting a wife and living a happy life. You are basically in love with Riza but you refuse to admit it because you are afraid. So you will be visited by three other ghosts tonight and you will be given a chance to mend your ways."

"Okay, I should have never read that Christmas book," Roy said. "Now I am dreaming about it with myself in the place of Scrooge. That's it! This is all a dream."

Roy got up from the bed and walked to the corner of it.

"Roy…um…" Maes said, not sure how to respond. Before he could do so, Roy moved his foot back and kicked the metal edge of his bed with all his might. He bit his lip when his toe popped.

"Se…See…just a d…dream," he managed to say; trying to hide the pain he was in from the specter in the form of his best friend. Roy limped over to the bed and crawled back in it. Pulling the covers over his head, he let out a string of curses before sitting back up straight and fixing the covers on his lap.

"You happy?" Maes questioned.

"Yes," he said, "please continue with what you were saying."

"Three ghosts will visit you tonight to give you a chance to mend your ways," Maes said.

"I see, mend my ways how exactly?"

"I explained that. They will make you see that you are capable of love and that Riza Hawkeye is the one you love."

Roy sighed. "Are you done? As much as it is good seeing some sort of you Maes, I would much rather have the real you than some hallucination and since that isn't possible I bid you goodnight," he said and moved to lay back down under the covers.

"Roy, I hope for your sake this works, otherwise your future won't be a pleasant one," Maes said.

"Yeah yeah," Roy muttered and drifted off to sleep.

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	3. Ghost of the Past

**A Valentine Carol**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 3: Ghost of the Past **

**Disclaimer: Full Metal Alchemist and all its characters are the property of Hiromu Arakawa. No profit was made from this fanfiction. The only things that I do own are the OC's if any. ****This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of original characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author holds exclusive rights to the overall course of the plot. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. **

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**Ghost of the Past**

Maes sighed as he watched the clock tick by, minute by minute, hour by hour. He spent this time listening to his friend snore away. There were quite a few things he didn't miss about being alive and sleep was one of them. He never liked it and as a spirit he never had to do it. However, it was quite a pleasant feeling to watch others sleep, especially his daughter Elecia.

"Is he being stubborn? He should have waited up for me. We haven't got all night. Lazy apprentice," a man's voice said.

Maes straightened his posture when he saw the person in charge of taking Roy to the past. The man instilled fear in him and everyone he came across, even in death. Master Hawkeye was indeed a strict scary individual and he could definitely see where Riza Hawkeye inherited some of his traits.

Master Hawkeye, wasted no time in going over to Roy's bed, grabbing the covers and jerking as hard as he could, much like he used to when Roy was a child. Roy fell out of the bed and hit the cold hardwood floor with a thud.

"Damn it to hell Maes! That hurt!" he snapped. He looked over across the room to see Maes standing there, an amused look plastered on his face.

"See ya later Roy," he said and faded away.

"Okay, I really need to have my head examined," Roy muttered.

"I recall telling you that years ago," Hawkeye replied.

Roy looked up from his place on the floor to see his old master standing there in the very clothing that they buried him in so long ago. He quickly scooted back until his back met the side of his bed.

"Oh shit, this hallucination is the worst one yet!" He yelped. "Of all people why you?"

"Get up, get dressed, and let's go," he said.

"What? Go where?"

"You have five minutes to get dressed," he snapped. Roy stood and narrowed his eyes.

"I am a grown man and won't let my illusions tell me what to do!"

Hawkeye narrowed his eyes at him and Roy took a step back. He hadn't seen that glare in so long he'd forgotten what it felt like to be on the receiving end of it. Riza had the same glare but hers carried a beauty to it. Her eyes made him get lost, like they were endless. Master Hawkeye's were flat and cold, making him want to look away.

"All right, that's fine," he said suddenly. Roy smiled triumphantly with getting his way. It was the first time he ever got the better of him, proving that it was his illusions and he was in control . . . or so he thought. Suddenly, his master grabbed his arm and Roy barely had time to grab a blanket before they, amazingly, went through a wall.

They came out at a place that seemed familiar to Roy but he couldn't place it. The alley was dark and surround by red bricks, there was snow on the ground, and the wind was whipping around the environment. Roy pulled the covers tighter around him, regretting that he didn't listen to Hawkeye when he told him to get dressed.

"Over there," Hawkeye said, pointing to the left.

"But why mommy? Why are you leaving me here! I don't want you to go mommy! Daddy! What's going on?" A little black haired boy said. Roy realized that the boy in question was him and that the time was when his parents left him outside of the orphanage.

"How are we watching this...?" Roy questioned.

"Hush boy," Hawkeye said. "Just watch."

The little boy grabbed onto his mother's legs and cried but she pried him off as they got into the car and drove away, leaving little Roy crying.

"I see…" he said."That was when my parent's left me. I never knew why exactly they did it."

"Humm…" Master Hawkeye said. "Did you ever try to contact them again?"

"No, I don't care about them. They left me there without telling me why. From then on, I didn't care about them. I still don't."

"I think you are lying. It's been plaguing your mind for years," Hawkeye said. "You always were a naturally inquisitive person. You can't tell me that part of you just wants to know the reason. I know you have no desire for reconciliation."

"I suppose reasons would be good."

"I think this is the start of your aversion to love."

"You know you are really one to talk," Roy replied.

Hawkeye tensed up, something Roy found quite shocking, but as soon as that muscle tension showed, it disappeared.

"Let's go," Hawkeye said. If this isn't going to change your mind, perhaps something stronger will."

Roy was relieved that the next place they went to was much warmer. He still kept the blankets around him, trying to make sure he was warm as possible. For a hallucination, it sure was uncomfortable.

"You remember this time?" Hawkeye asked. Roy looked up and around the room until his eyes feel on a bed, and on that bed rested Riza Hawkeye, who was fast asleep. Her back was bare, revealing the tattoo before he burned a part of it. He turned when he heard someone behind him and saw a younger version of himself walk over and sit down beside the bed. His younger counterpart trailed his hand along the tattoo, studying it as if Riza wasn't there. He was treating her like a mere piece of paper.

Roy never knew that he'd been that cold. That obsessed. Sure, he'd cared for Riza more than anything and had been furious about the tattoo, but still, she had flame alchemy. Something he'd wanted to use to better himself, to better the country. That was his main focus during that time. Looking back, he saw what a fool he really was. Everyone had those times in their lives where they look back and regretted their actions but Roy had a feeling that he had far more than most people could even come close to having.

"I was hoping you'd end up marrying her. That the two of you would just settle down and you'd forget that military business. Instead, Ishbal happened and Riza got dragged into it."

"She didn't get dragged into anything. She went of her own free will. It wasn't my job to guard her. She was old enough to make her own decisions."

"If she told you what she was going to do, would you have let her?"

"No, I would have told her to go get married like a normal woman," he said. "I would have told her to just settle down and have children. I never thought for a moment that she'd go and join the military; that she'd become a monster like me."

"Do you still wish she didn't join?"

"No, I don't. Of course I wish she hadn't been in Ishbal, but if it wasn't for her always being around I wouldn't have been able to cope with the things fate threw at me. I can't function without her. I lo…" Roy trailed off when he realized what he was about to say. "I appreciate what she's done for me. She's a loyal friend and subordinate."

"You were about to say that you loved her," Hawkeye said, "Quite a Freudian slip for someone who doesn't believe in love. Don't you think?"

"I don't know what you are talking about," Roy said, directing his eyes back to the scene before him. "I don't like this."

"Why?"  
"Because," Roy replied.

"That's not an answer," Master Hawkeye replied.

"I'm …that doesn't seem like me," Roy said. "That seems like just a foolish young man that is overly obsessed with something that will bring nothing but pain to people."

"If you could go back and change it, knowing what you do now, what would you change?"

"Does it matter?" Roy questioned. "Wasn't it you that told me don't look back on the past because you can't change it? Kind of ironic that you told me that and now in my illusion you are a ghost of the past, so to speak."

"That was before I understood things better, and this isn't an illusion boy," he replied.

"All illusions tell the person that is delirious that they aren't hallucinating."

"I thought that if you grew up you'd lose some of that stubbornness," Hawkeye said.

"Apparently being dead has made you lose most of yours," Roy replied.

"Let's go," Hawkeye said, grabbing his arm.

Roy looked back at the scene and frowned before following Hawkeye. "Do you think it would be possible for me to go back and put some clothing on? I mean, I didn't think illusions were this cold."

"No," Hawkeye replied and they faded through the wall.

---

"Where are we no…" Roy trailed off when he realized that they were at the front of the fuehrer's mansion. He stomach flopped and his eye burned as he also came to the realization of the events he would be watching. This event resulted in the most physical and emotional pain he'd ever experienced in all of his years. Not to mention the catalyst for his mental breakdown.

He pulled the blanket around himself as he viewed his past self stepping out of the burning house, the fuehrer's son in his arms. He could feel the pain he was going through, though significantly dulled of course. He watched as his mirror slowly staggered and stopped as he saw Archer point his gun. Then shots went off, they never knew whether it was Hawkeye's bullet ricocheted off Archer or if Archer had fired a shot. As he watched, he realized that he couldn't even tell standing there.

He saw Hawkeye rush to him, calling his rank first, and then calling his name. Roy didn't know any of this happened. He didn't remember her calling his name like that, he didn't remember the scream he was hearing come from her. He didn't remember her crying on him.

He turned his gaze to Riza's father and saw that the man was tensed up like he'd never seen before. His eyes were glazed with pity and his face looked helplessly on.

"I saw all of this as it happened. I wanted to be here," Hawkeye said. "As if you didn't know, my daughter loves you. To see her like this ached at me."

Roy directed his gaze back to the scene as he saw her quickly get up and run to a phone booth located just outside the gates. After making a really quick call, probably for an ambulance, she rushed back to his side and gently flipped him over. She rested his head on her lap and leaned down to whisper something that he couldn't quite make out, as his blood leaked onto her lap.

"What did she whisper?" he questioned.

"You'll have to ask her that yourself when you come to your senses," Hawkeye sensei said. "Come on, we have one more place to be," he said.

Roy nodded and followed Hawkeye.

---

In an instant, they were in a warm apartment that he recognized instantly: it was the place he lived before he left for the Northern outpost. It had been such a cozy apartment and was made even more so by Riza just being there. He remembered being incredibly comfortable as she slept next to him when she was taking care of him. Her lavender shampoo would lull him off to sleep every time the medicine didn't do its job and waking up to see her sleeping there put such a longing inside him. For what, he couldn't exactly pinpoint.

"This way," Hawkeye said, walking into Roy's bedroom.

Roy smiled slightly as he saw his injured self sitting up in bed, eating apples that Riza fed him. That time had been very nice indeed.

He listened as she talked about failing him, about being there to protect him. Then he watched as he raised his hand to touch those beautiful blond locks and told her that the world wasn't perfect and that was why it was so beautiful. He never knew if she figured out that he was calling her beautiful.

Right after that, she told him to shut up and eat, and then fed him an apple. He chewed it up and grabbed her knife.

"It's dangerous to feed me with a knife. My eye could be poked out from that thing."

Roy cringed at the bad joke. At the time he thought it was funny. Obviously, as he watched Riza's face, she didn't think it was amusing in the least.

"Sorry," the past Roy said.

Riza nodded and fed him another apple.

Of course, those happy times didn't last. He started seeing his victims in Ishbal, his failure to protect Ed, his failure to keep Maes alive. He had to leave Central, he had to punish himself, to make up for all those things he could the best way. The north was always susceptible to attacks, if he went there to serve as a soldier it would be punishment enough. He remembered that he also wanted to get away from her, she brought happiness to him that he didn't deserve to have.

Hawkeye lifted up his hand and Roy grabbed the table next to him as the room seemed to spin wildly. It stopped and he was very surprised at the sudden change in environment.

This time the bedroom had a much different ambiance from the light and airy one that it was before. This was seemed so cold and the lights were off, making it darker. He looked out the windows to see that instead of it being bright and sunny, it was dingy and raining, the rain being pushed against the windows by the wind.

He looked over to the bed and his heart dropped. Riza Hawkeye was asleep on his side of the bed, wrapped in one of the jackets that he'd left behind. Her face was tear-streaked and her nose was red. Surely Riza Hawkeye hadn't been crying over him. That was impossible; he wasn't worth that kind of display in emotions.

"I'm not worth that kind of reaction," Roy said, voicing his thoughts.

"To her you were; you still are," Master Hawkeye said.

"I don't understand," he replied, his head spinning with confusing thoughts. How could anyone care for him that much? How could anyone miss him that much?

"The fact of the matter is that you don't need to understand. All you need to know is that there are people that care for you. That love you," Hawkeye sensei said. "There are people you love in return.

"I don't deserve it," he said.

"Why?"

"Because of…"

"Because of what you've done?" Hawkeye interrupted. Roy suddenly felt a jolt and found himself back in his bedroom and sitting on his bed. Hawkeye was standing in front of him. "Don't you get what I am trying to show you?"

"You've showed me a few mistakes I made. Is that what you wanted to do? Throw it in my face. Why didn't you throw Ishbal in there too for good measure?"

"Because that isn't the point of why I am here and why I showed you those things."

"Then why?" he questioned.

"Good or bad, the past makes you who you are. Even the horrible actions that you've taken, even the pain you have caused, the pain you felt, has good consequences. They've made you stronger; they've guided the course you've taken in your life. You can't go back and fix things, like you said earlier, like I've told you. The reason I asked you if you would go back is because you can fix the present by realizing what you could have fixed in the past. You can make it so that this present won't be a past you look upon and regret."

"So basically, you can't look forward without looking back and you can't look back without thinking about the present and what kind of past it will become."

"Exactly," Hawkeye said, "the actions you take today will be the past you look at tomorrow. If you look at your past actions as you make present decisions then you will have a new past that you can be proud of."

"So you showed me the pain I caused Riza. You showed me my past actions so that I wouldn't cause her pain in the future?"

"Partially yes, there's more than Riza's future I am concerned with. You were happy with her there, you regretted leaving her, and I know this. You know that. She needs to hear it. You need to say it. If you take the actions, realize that you love her, that you need her more than just as a coworker, then both of you will have a good future, both of you can look back at this time with smiles. You can look upon the past and see that the outcome was worth the trouble."

Suddenly, the clock in the hall chimed.

"My time here grows short," Hawkeye said.

"I have a question before you go," Roy said. "Even if this is an illusion, even if it isn't, why was it you that came? Why not just any random spirit, ghost, illusion or whatever the hell it is that you are?"

"I'm a man who made bad decisions in my past before I died. I regret that I was never able to make them up to Riza and even to you," Hawkeye said. "Don't you think that a person you knew who has made mistakes in his past would be better than a stranger?"

"Yes, I see now," Roy said.

"The next ghost will be here soon. I am quite fond of her so be respectful . . . you idiot apprentice."

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	4. Ghost of Present

**A Valentine Carol**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 4: Ghost of the Present**

**Disclaimer: Full Metal Alchemist and all its characters are the property of Hiromu Arakawa. No profit was made from this fanfiction. The only things that I do own are the OC's if any. ****This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of original characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author holds exclusive rights to the overall course of the plot. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. **

**AN: I haven't done a detailed proofreading of this yet so there may be some typos etc. I am having a horribly busy week and my stress levels are at their height. I had this chapter written and I figured I'd post it. Hope you enjoy it. **

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**Ghost of the Present**

Roy sat up in bed with a startled expression. He looked around the room quickly, noting that nothing was out of the ordinary. Surely that wasn't just a dream? It was so damned vivid that only real life or an illusion would describe it.

Roy fell back and stared up at the canopy of his bed. His eyes followed the dark red designs etched into the fabric that draped atop the bed. He laughed when one of them looked like Maes. Suddenly, the face spun more and more until a head popped through the canopy, not creating a hole through it but actually going through it with no damage to the fabric.

"How'd it go Roy?" Maes questioned, quickly.

"Oh shit!" Roy said, falling out of bed due to the shock. He stood and growled as his toe started to throb.

"So I wasn't dreaming?" Roy questioned.

Maes floated down to sit on his bed. He bounced up and down. "Ooo comfy. I bet Riza would like it here too."

"Yeah, probab-what are you still doing here? Because in the book, the friend ghost, Marley I think was the name, didn't stick around."

"In the book? Roy, this is no book," Maes said, "and I don't recall there being a list of rules governing what I can do and not do."

"So does that mean you the present ghost thing too? As I recall, Master Hawkeye said it was a woman," Roy said.

"Nah, I'm just here to keep you company," Maes said, standing up and walking over to him. He placed a hand on Roy's shoulder. "Just calm down, this will be over soon and hopefully so will your stubbornness."

"Spirits? Stubbornness? What in the hell?"

"Yes spirits, you are being stubborn over admitting how you feel about Riza and what the hell is a question," Maes said, trying to goad Roy into something he could get a laugh about.

Roy groaned, walked over to his bed, and flopped down on his stomach.

"You should get dressed before she gets here. It's sort of rude to be in front of a woman in your boxers unless it's Riza of course. Then you should be…"

Roy shot up and turned to glare at Maes. "Enough! Go away!" he said. "And take your other spirit friend things with you."

"Let me think on it. I'll let you know tomorrow," he said.

"I thought these…visits…were just tonight."

"Exactly," Maes said with a chuckle.

"Argh," Roy replied and stood. He quickly slipped on some pajamas and house slippers and then sat back down on his bed. If he must go completely through this illusion he might as well be comfortable and just deal with it.

"So who is this past thing? Hawkeye Sensei said he was fond of her," he said.

"We all are very fond of her. It's hard not to be. You don't know her even though you do have a slight connection with her."

"How many of you are there?"

"In our little group or overall spirits?"

"Whatever," Roy replied.

"Well in our group, it's mainly those with common ties that bind together. It varies at different times. Right now the common tie is you and Riza so there's quite a few of us. Master Hawkeye and Eliza have a stronger tie with each other than any of us. This is understandable of course considering…"

"Eliza was Riza's mother," Roy said.

"Yes," Maes said.

"So Riza's mother is the present spirit?"

"Correct…"

"What I don't understand is that she doesn't have a direct connection with me. Wouldn't it make more sense to have someone that does?"

"She wanted to help her daughter and you find happiness together. That is why she decided to help out. When we decided to come to you, to get you to wise up, so to speak, she was all for it. She has an ability to make people look deeper beyond what they are seeing at the present."

"Okay, I'll play along here…So you don't have some higher power ordering you to do this? Like giving out file assignments."

Maes blinked. "We do have a higher power but he doesn't tell us who to help or whatever. He lets us have free reign pretty much. You are working to hard if you are picturing god behind a desk doing paperwork. Basically, we were watching, got tired of you being so stubborn and decided to come here and wise you up."

"Why don't you go to Riza? Get her to confess to me?"

"How do you expect her to confess after you said the things you did?"

"You knew it was going to happen. Why didn't you come and stop me before I said it?"

"Because we didn't think you'd be such an idiot," he said.

"Grrr, I don't remember you being this blunt in life," Roy commented.

Maes laughed and looked toward Roy's door as the clock chimed. "I was. It looks like your memory is failing you. Anyway, she should be here in a—"

"I was almost late," a very familiar sounding voice said, interrupting Maes.

Roy looked up at the door to see a beautiful woman walking toward them. She had long brown hair that stopped at her waist and gorgeous hazel eyes that glistened in the moonlight that was coming through the window. She was wearing a long white dress with sleeves that were so long that they hid her hands from view. The bottom of the dress swished across the floor as she walked, making it look like she was floating. If he hadn't heard footsteps as she moved he could almost believe that she was indeed levitating.

"So you are Roy Mustang, the man my daughter is in love with yes?" she questioned, turning her gaze to Roy. The woman's voice sounded almost identical to Riza's.

"I don't know about her being in love with me, but I am Roy Mustang," he said.

"Well we will get rid of those doubts you have about her feelings for you tonight," she said, extending her hand. He stood up and took it.

"Have fun," Maes said, as Roy and the woman faded away.

Roy was surprised when he appeared in Riza's apartment, more specifically, in her bedroom. He gazed at the clock to see that it was 2am. He was quite surprised that she wasn't asleep by now.

He looked toward the door when he heard talking coming from another room.

"This way. Don't worry, Riza and the others can't see you."

"Yes Ma'am," he said.

"You can call me Mrs. Hawkeye, or better yet, just called me Eliza," she said.

"Oh, all right," Roy said.

They walked into Riza's living room, and Roy was surprised to see, Riza, Rebecca, Scieszka, Winry, and Maria all sitting on blankets in front of Riza's fireplace.

"I say you move on and find someone better," Rebecca said. "There are plenty more fish in the sea."

"Yes but she wants a flame fish," Maria said.

Roy stared at Riza who was looking down at the small bowl of ice cream that she held in her hands. "He said I wasn't his type," Riza said. "I guess that's true. I'm not anything like the pinup girls he dates."

Roy frowned as he saw how depressed Riza looked. Once again, he'd hurt her. He thought back on the type comment. Riza, in all actuality, was exactly his type, if he had one that is. She was all that a man could want. She was loyal, beautiful, funny, sweet, kind, smart, smart, and smart…yes intelligence was something Roy was definitely attracted to. Most of the women he used to go out with would forget how to breathe if the body didn't do it automatically.

"Who cares if you aren't like them? Personally, I think Mustang things more highly of you than he could any of them. I think he thinks you are more beautiful as well. I've seen him out with those girls and he looks so bored. When he looks at you we all can see that he cares."

"I agree," Winry said. "He seems to be so much more relaxed around you. He looks at you like you are one of the most precious things on the planet. He is just too stubborn."

"I don't like the man," Rebecca said, scooping ice cream in her mouth.

Roy growled. "There's no love lost." Eliza laughed at him and continued watching the scene.

"But…" Rebecca continued, "I agree with the others, he loves you. So why don't you just confess to him since he doesn't have the balls to do it himself?"

"If you heard that you weren't Havoc's type would you confess?"

"Why are we talking about Havoc, I have no feelings for him whatsoever," she said.

"Denial isn't a river in Cretea," Maria said.

"Anyway, this isn't about me. This is about Riza and flamey," Rebecca said. "Just go to his house and tell him how you feel. If he breaks your heart then I will be standing by with an angry mob of women and we will burn him at the stake."

"Not funny," Riza said.

"The fact of the matter is that we all know he loves you and if you don't do something to tell him how you feel, then nothing will ever happen. Mustang will continue living in that state of denial for the rest of his life and yours."

"Maybe that would be for the best then," she said. "I can't just come up to him and say, "Roy Mustang I love you."

"Why?"

"Because I'm just not…I'm not good enough for him."

Scieszka suddenly burst out laughing. "Not good enough? You have got to be kidding? You are perfect for him. He'd be a lost cause without you. The secretary's at the paperwork office have a running bet on your relationship. Everyone can see it except the two of you."

"She…she really loves me?" Roy questioned, with shock.

"Yes," Eliza said. "Of course she does, you should already know that."

"It's unbelievable that someone like her could love me," Roy said.

"What do you mean someone like her?" Eliza questioned.

"She's just ... she's just perfect. I mean not exactly perfect but she's..."

"I understand," she said as a small smile graced her lips. "Now you need to make her see that. I think your problem isn't not being able to love or not loving. Your problem is that you don't realize exactly what love is. It's nothing that can be explained by science. It's just a human emotion, perhaps the greatest one."

Roy nodded. "I understand," he said.

"Then we should go," she said, turning around.

He started to turn around when a question from Rebecca made him freeze in his spot.

"So what is it about him that made you fall for him?"

Roy turned toward Riza and waited. He heard her mother chuckle lightly. She walked to stand beside him. "It's almost not fair to my daughter to let you stay but I shall. Just for a few moments more."

"It's hard to explain how or why. It just suddenly dawned on me one day that I loved him more than just in a friendly manner," Riza said.

"How about traits? Is there anything in particular about him that makes you weak in the knees? Besides looks of course," Scieszka questioned.

"His smell, the way he grins, and the way he tries to hide the pain he's feeling but I can see it in his eyes. If his hand just barely brushes mine my heart starts beating like crazy," she said, then blushed. "I sound so silly."

Roy grinned as Riza blushed. She looked so beautiful with that look on her face. It was so adorable and he wanted to see her act that way more often. He realized those were a few of the things he enjoyed about her. The one thing she could do that no one else could was read him. She knew his personality almost better than he did.

"That's not silly, that's lovely," Winry said. "It's a woman in love."

"Let's go," Eliza said.

"Can't we stay a bit longer? I like seeing Riza like this," he questioned.

Eliza took his hand. "If you wise up, which I think you are doing, then you will be able to see Riza like this for the rest of your life. Let us go, you still have one ghost to meet and he won't be happy if you aren't there when he gets there."

"One more?" he questioned.

"Yes," she said quietly. She didn't like the fact they were going to drill the point home with the ghost of the future but she'd been outvoted and Maes and her husband knew Roy better than she did. If they felt it was necessary then perhaps it was. She smiled softly as they appeared back in his bedroom.

She cupped his face and kissed his forehead as she would do a son. She pulled away and smiled at Roy. "I do wish I could have met you in life. You are good for my daughter. Please take care of her and protect her."

Roy smiled and nodded. "I can see where Riza gets her kindness from. I am glad I met you even if it is an illusion."

"It's not an illusion," she said. "But if you insist on it being such, then as long as you change your mind about your feelings for my daughter then our job will be done. Goodbye Roy."

"Goodbye, and thank you," he said.

She walked to the window and through it, fading away as she did so.

* * *


	5. Ghost of Future

**A Valentine Carol**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 5: Ghost of the Future **

**Disclaimer: Full Metal Alchemist and all its characters are the property of Hiromu Arakawa. No profit was made from this fan fiction. The only things that I do own are the OC's if any. ****This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of original characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author holds exclusive rights to the overall course of the plot. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. **

**AN: Once again, I just did a really quick proofread with this one. This chapter was really fun to write.  
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**Ghost of the Future**

"She's something else isn't she?" Maes questioned.

Roy turned quickly to see Maes standing there with a small smile on his face.

"Yes, she was something special. Hard to believe she's married to Master Hawkeye," he said.

"You think so? You know, he's not as strict as he was with you and Riza. He was in mourning and never really emerged from it."

"I can't blame him for mourning over her. I know if I lost Riza, I would probably end up the same way."

"So she's made you see that you love her?"

"She made me realize that I care more for her than a friend or family member. I don't know about love. I'll have to give that some thought to exactly what love is," he said, looking down at his lap.

Maes nodded and jumped as the clock struck again.

"It's 3am," Maes said, coldly. Roy looked up when he noticed the cool tone Maes used. It was as if death himself was making an appearance. "I'm sorry about this next spirit Roy," Maes said. "But we felt it was necessary."

"What? What do you mean sorry? It's just another spirit. I'm just wondering who this one is that I know."

"You've come close to him several times, you've caused him to appear and disappear. He knows everyone and will meet everyone someday."

"You are being cryptic Maes," Roy said, standing up and walking over to his best friend who took a step back.

"Forgive me and Master Hawkeye for this," Maes said distraughtly and faded away.

"Maes! What in the hell is wrong with…"

Roy suddenly became very cold. The hairs on his body pricked up like cactus needles and his throat felt like it was shriveling up like a prune left out in the sun all day. The room dimmed significantly as the clouds moved over the moon outside and as it did so the room increasingly smelled like sulfur and ash. He felt a wind whip over him and turned toward the door. His eyes widened and he now understood Maes's cryptic description of the ghost of future. It was true; he knew this specter well.

"You are the one that will show me the future?" Roy asked even though he already knew the answer to his questioned. Sometimes, one needed to get affirmation even if the answer was obvious.

A slight wind blew toward Roy, which he took as a positive answer. Roy's palm started to sweat and he could feel himself shaking slightly. In the past he always thought he'd gotten the closest to death that he could without dying. He realized suddenly that he'd been extremely wrong. This night brought him to realizations that he'd been wrong on so many things.

When the specter stepped into what little light was present in the room, Roy was surprised. Death was nothing like he thought it would be. Foolishly he always pictured death the way humanity had portrayed him, in a black hooded cloak with skeleton hands carrying a scythe. Even in the shade of the room, he looked like he was indeed that form. Instead, death was just a mass of black that looked like floating goo that one saw in those lava lamps. On occasion, a spark of silver would flicker out of the mass and light the room minutely.

Roy watched as the mass began to spin; more and more of the silver appearing and threading through it like it was a needle and thread going through black fabric. It suddenly rushed toward him engulfing his entire body.

When Roy opened his eyes, he found himself standing in a grave yard. He looked around to see that the mass was far on the hill above him. He slowly made his way up the small green hill. The day was extremely muggy and the rain was lightly falling, soaking the earth and giving everything around a fresh smell. He smiled softly when he remembered Riza mentioning that she loved days like this.

She walked up to the large black mass and was surprised to see it form in the shape of a man about his height and shape.

"I've already realized I have more than friendly feelings for Riza. I said I would consider the love thing. Are you really necessary? So far, you ghosts are pretty much showing me the things in the book. I suppose that this is my grave. Well, you know what? I don't really mind dying. I don't see it as anything to fear anymore and the world would be better off without me around."

The black figure shook its head and took a step to the side. Roy looked down at the stone expecting to see his name engraved in the white marble. Instead, his knees gave out and hit the ground, making with a slight squishing sound as it hit the mud. No no no, this couldn't be right. This couldn't be her grave. She wasn't supposed to die, at least not before him.

His stomach lurched and if he'd had any food in his stomach, it would have regurgitated onto the wet green grass under him. Her name didn't look right carved in that stupid stone. Neither did her birthday or that damned death date. He stared at the year and realized it was that very year.

His hands sunk into the mud, small rocks going under his fingernails causing damage to the skin underneath. He felt his heart beat increasing until he could hear each thump in his ears. His eyes began to water and his breath speeding up until he had to gasp for air.

He fell down onto the grave and cursed repeatedly. None of it, none of it was a dream or illusion. No illusion he ever had made him feel such anguish, such loneliness, such helplessness. There was nothing fake about where he was and whose grave he was situated in front of. Nothing in the world could hurt him as much as this. He then realized exactly why Maes had apologized to him. They knew this would damn near kill him.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see…himself. Yes, before him the dark being was now exactly like him. Was he the face of her death? Was he the reason she died? He could never live with himself if he was the cause of her demise. He would follow her shortly if this was unstoppable. He wouldn't dwell in the world without her in it.

Roy shot to his feet and stared at death or future. Whatever the hell it was!

"Tell me, is this the definite future or just one possibly one?" he questioned, ignoring that he was basically talking to his mirror version. "If I tell her how I feel, if I change, will this future be diverted? Maes and the others said they were showing me this so I can change. Why would it end like this if I changed?" Roy questioned, repeatedly, emphasizing the word change in each sentence. He was incredibly distraught as he gripped the being by the upper arms.

The spirit didn't respond verbally to him. Instead, it chose to just stare, piercing Roy with his own gaze.

"You care about her too don't you? If you are me then you know that she's the most important thing to your existence! You know that you …that…that…You love her! Damn it you do! I do, I love Riza Hawkeye and the fact that this could happen scares me to death. I want to grow old with her, have a family with her. I want to protect her with everything in me. Tell me! If I confess will this still happen?"

Roy took deep breaths trying to take in air. He'd never gone off the handle like this before. He'd realize what love truly was and now he wanted Riza to live so he could give her everything he had. He gasped when his throat constricted and he could no longer breathe the fresh air around him. He tried to move his hands off the image of himself but he couldn't move.

He felt his body go slowly proceed to go limp, part by part, and darkness slowly engulfing him. He didn't know if he was dying or not for this was like nothing he'd ever experienced. Maybe death decided to take him instead of Riza. If so, he would gladly give up his life so she could live on.

He loved her that much.

---

Roy woke up with a jerk and sat up in his room. He looked around to see that he was still in bed, the curtains on his canopy closed all around his bed, hiding his view of the rest of the room. He smiled widely. Despite waking up there he knew that what he experienced hadn't been a dream or illusion. No dream or illusion could even come close to the terror he felt, to the slight tinge of fear that still ran through him as he thought of what happened. Now, he questioned everything that he once thought as being undeniable truth.

He threw the covers off him and swung his legs over the bed. He cringed when his toe made contact with the floor, the pain shooting from the phalange, all the way up to his ankle. He would have to be careful until his toe fully healed.

He looked down at his foot and studied it, seeing that the toe that hit the iron of his bed was shades of blue, green and purple, the fresh colors of bruising. He carefully made his way to the bathroom, showered and quickly got dressed.

On the way down the stairs he stopped at a small window and glanced out at the few. The sun was peaking over the mountains, painting the sky with variations of oranges. It was dawn. It was the beginning of a new day for most, but the beginning of a new life for him. That day and the days after were a dawn that he would paint the horizon on. He would have mountains to climb and rivers to wade through. That was life; but hopefully, he would have Riza there with him to help face all the adversities and all the problems that he would paint as dawn disappeared into dusk, days into months, and months into years.

Roy grinned widely and made his way the rest of the way down the stairs. He grabbed his coat at the door and slipped it on before leaving the house. He would skip his usual breakfast for he had people to see.

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	6. Love

**A Valentine Carol**

**Author: MoonStarDutchess**

**Chapter 6: Love **

**Disclaimer: ****Full Metal Alchemist and all its characters are the property of Hiromu Arakawa. No profit was made from this fanfiction. The only things that I do own are the OC's if any. ****This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of original characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.  
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**AN: Thank you so much to everyone that read this fiction. I really appreciate it. Most people don't want to give a twist on books much of a chance in fanfiction so thank you for doing so. **

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**Love**

"I can't believe you don't know where he lives! Don't you drive him around?" Raven muttered as she tapped her nails against the handle on the passenger side door.

"No, not since he moved into his house. Riza usually does it or he drives himself, and what do you mean you can't believe I don't know where he lives? You are practically his sister. He's never invited any of you to his house?"

"Of course he has! I just never felt the need to pay attention to the way he went. I want to be a supermodel Havoc, I don't need to learn directions," she said.

Havoc drove up behind and car and waited. For it being so early in the morning, traffic certainly was busy. Dawn was peaking over the horizon and the city was slowly being illuminated with orange, yellow and red hues.

A cop came over to the car and Havoc rolled down his window.

"Hey, Bill, what's going on?"

"Morning Havoc, you certainly are up early. I suggest you turn around and drive home. There was a crash at the lights," he said, "things probably won't be clear for a couple hours."

"I see, thank you," he said. "We will go home."

"No problem, you have a nice day," he said and walked away.

Havoc carefully turned the car around and began the drive back to Madam Christmas's place.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Vanessa yelled from the back seat and hugged Raven, throwing her arms around the seat and getting her around the neck. She did the same for Havoc then turned and gave Breda a hug as well, lingering a bit longer than she normally would while giving a hug.

"It's been Valentine's Day since midnight," Raven said.

"Not to me. It's not day until the sun rises. The sun is rising so for me it is officially Valentine's Day."

"So what are you plans?" Havoc said.

Vanessa sighed. "Sadly, I don't have any. I guess I'll stay at home with my ice cream and romance movie."

"Um…" Breda started, "You wouldn't want to go…I mean, would you like to perhaps go out to dinner?"

Vanessa's face lit up at the offer. "Really? Like on a date? A real date?"

"Yeah," he said.

"I can't believe this," Havoc said to himself. He was in awe that Breda of all people, asked a girl as beautiful as Vanessa out on a date.

"YAY! I've been waiting for you to ask me out!" she exclaimed and tackled him. He fell back against the seat and chuckled.

"Okay you two; don't do anything in the backseat. Havoc and I would like to keep our stomachs stable," Raven said. She glanced over at Havoc. "Don't even think about asking me out."

"Don't worry, you aren't my type?"

"Too pretty?" she questioned.

"Too calm," he said. "I go in for the raging harpy type."

"I see," she said with a laugh. "Never would have thought it."

"A year ago, I wouldn't have either," he replied, thinking about Rebecca. He really needed to get his act together and ask her out.

"So I guess my plan is a no go," Raven said with a sigh.

"Perhaps tonight's circumstances were fate's way of telling us not to interfere with its course," Vanessa said, earning odd looks from everyone in the car. She coughed and turned to Breda with a large smile, starting a conversation with him happily.

--

When they arrived all of them were surprised to find that Madam Christmas was awake with a bewildered expression on her face. She sat on a barstool, curlers in her hair and her nightgown still covering her large body. A large bouquet of flowers rested on her lap and beside her on the bar, sat a pile of other flowers.

Vanessa and Raven rushed over to their, "mother" and shook her lightly.

"Are you all right? Christmas! Snap out of it," Raven said.

The older woman smiled pleasantly, something that terrified Raven and Vanessa. Whatever happened had to be pretty damn good to illicit such a response from Madam Christmas. "Go pass those flowers out to the girls," she said, "their names are on the cards."

"What? But…who are they from?"

"Roy," Christmas answered.

"What!" Raven and Vanessa exclaimed. "Why did Roy give us flowers?"

"He said that he loves us all and wishes us a happy Valentine's Day," Christmas replied, in a tone that displayed an overjoyed disbelief.

"But Roy doesn't believe in—"

"Something changed," Christmas interrupted. "He's different now. It's so strange."

"Where is he now?"

Christmas stood and went behind the bar to put her flowers in a vase of water. "Riza's apartment," she said.

This caused the other occupants in the room to smile widely.

"Finally, he's come to his senses," Havoc said.

"Vanessa, Raven, go wake the girls. We have to get Roy and Riza a nice dinner room ready. I think he's going to bring her here tonight."

"Right," the two women said, gathering the flowers. Vanessa skipped over to Breda gave him a quick kiss on the lips, which caused him to blush lightly. "See you tonight right?"

Breda nodded and watched as Vanessa and Raven rushed up the stairs.

The two men said their goodbyes to Madam Christmas and made their way out to the car.

"I have a good feeling about you and Vanessa," Havoc said honestly.

"Yeah," Breda said with a grin. "Now, you need to get your ass in gear. Rebecca isn't going to wait forever."

---

Roy knocked at the door to Riza's apartment then tapped his foot as he waited for someone to answer it. As soon as he'd left his house, he'd gone down to the old flower woman's stand and bought all the bouquets he had left. He made sure to get all the girls at Christmas's place and save the most beautiful bouquet for Riza.. He knew that Riza had friends over the previous night but wasn't sure if they were still there. If they were then he knew that they would already be awake. Every one of them was early risers. He hoped they wouldn't interfere in what he set out to do.

The door opened and revealed Maria Ross. He watched as a surprised look crossed her face, followed by a huge smiled, when she saw the flowers in his grasp. He inwardly thanked whatever god that was up there that it hadn't been Rebecca; otherwise, he might have gotten the door slammed in his face.

"Where's Riza?" Roy questioned.

Maria smiled softly at him. "Kitchen," she said stepping out of the way to let him in. She knew that look on a man. Roy was determined to tell Riza something and she knew exactly what that something was. There was no way she was going to stand in his way.

She shut the door behind her quickly and rushed into the kitchen.

Riza and the other women turned toward the door when they heard footsteps that were obviously not Maria's. They were all shocked when Roy Mustang walked in and up to Riza. He stared at her a moment before pulling her into his arms, much to her shock, and leaned down to kiss her passionately.

Riza's eyes widened at first but then they closed and her arms wrapped around his neck, kissing him back. This was something she'd always wanted, and his lips felt so warm and gentle against hers. She didn't care who was watching them, she wasn't going to pass this up, and she wasn't going to push him away.

Maria tapped Rebecca on the elbow and motioned toward the door. Rebecca smiled and got Scieszka and Winry's attention as well. They all slowly made their way out of the kitchen, gathered the things they had in the living room, and left the apartment. Obviously, Roy and Riza needed to be alone and the fact they needed such make them all so happy.

Roy pulled away from the kiss begrudgingly. He wanted to kiss her forever; he wanted all of her for the rest of his life.

"Why…what...?" Riza stuttered, not sure what to say. Of course, she was happy about the kiss but after the things he said yesterday, the fact he did such a thing confused her greatly.

"When I was injured that night at the fuehrer's mansion, you whispered something to me. What was it?" he questioned.

She was surprised at the question. "How did you know that I did that? You were unconscious."

"Answer me," he said.

She looked down at the ground. "I said that," she looked up at him. "I said that I loved you."

"That's what I thought," he said. He paused and took in her appeared before smiling and speaking once more. "You know what?"

"What?"

"I love you too," he said. "More than anything in this world. More than I ever loved anything else." Roy pulled her tighter against him, taking in her comforting smell and the way complete comfort came to him as she stood in his embrace.

Riza couldn't believe what he said. He loved her? She knew he wouldn't lie and even if she didn't know such a thing she could see his feelings for her though his gaze. "But you said you couldn't love. You said I wasn't your type. I don't understand"

"I don't have a type, and things changed on the love opinion," he said.

"How does that change overnight," she questioned.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he replied.

"Try me." Roy started to open his mouth to tell the story but found two of her fingers covering his lips. "Later," she whispered, moving her lips closer to his.

He closed the distance between them, never wanting to ever let her go again. He made a vow that he would tell her and show her every day how much he loved her.

He didn't see the three ghosts standing there watching them, before they faded out into the realm where the passed resided, until their loved ones needed help once more.

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**AN: Another fiction wrapped up and tied with a pretty ribbon. Hehe! Please drop a final review my way and thank you so much for reading this! Much love and huggles! **


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